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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · pound · sharp · degree · stem · board · lean · wind

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pound — a weight
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. board — a committee
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. board — to get on
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. lean — thin
  21. sharp — clever
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wind — moving air
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com